I'm sitting here at 1:35 with a glass of Overholt (although my diet forbids it!) and can't help but think when I read some posts here that you bourbonhunters are very fortunate. Sweden, not allowing private shops, must be the country the bourbongods forgot. http://www.straightbourbon.com/forum...s/banghead.gif

Here is what we can get, and this is ALL that is available: (approximate/equivalent prices in parantheses)

Yes, as I understand it some whiskies are not available in some states and that is a shame. WHen I was in the US this summer I lived primarily in Virginia. There they did not have X bourbon, so I went to nearby Maryland where they had it, and in Maryland they did not have Y bourbon, so I went to DC. (lived very close to the state lines, as you may have guessed http://www.straightbourbon.com/forum...lins/smile.gif ) So I see your problem, too.

I'm sitting here at 1:35 with a glass of Overholt (although my diet forbids it!) and can't help but think when I read some posts here that you bourbonhunters are very fortunate. Sweden, not allowing private shops, must be the country the bourbongods forgot. http://www.straightbourbon.com/forum...s/banghead.gif

(outlandish prices snipped)

Ow. Owww! <font color="red">OWWWWWWWWWW!</font>

I can't help but wonder how much of that is the cost of shipping it overseas, and how much of that is taxes?

That being said, sometimes even a "control" state (where the state government controls liquor sales at the wholesale or even retail level) can have some surprising finds. I found some Cadenhead's 150th anniversary bottlings of Port Ellen in Michigan, where I would have never expected them. FYI, Michigan is state-controlled at the wholesale level, but retail sales are at private stores.

08-23-2005, 19:51

rob

Re: I envy Americans for your range of bourbons...

Quote:

Ow. Owww! <font color="red">OWWWWWWWWWW!</font>

I can't help but wonder how much of that is the cost of shipping it overseas, and how much of that is taxes?

Again, the taxes in America is a fart in space compared to ours in Sweden http://www.straightbourbon.com/forum...mlins/wink.gif. 70 cl bottles are the largest sold here, and for every 1 liter of alcohol sold, above that is 196 SEK, which equals US $ 28. In other words, the $ 28 is itax only ABOVE the price for the product. One bottle of Absolut Vodka, our gift to the world, costs the equivalent of US $ some $ 35 here. The actual cost for the product is almost nothing considering the vast volumes of Absolut produced.

Quote:

Of course, we have our own troubles, with a patchwork of differing liquor laws for each state, and sometimes with each county, not to mention each city!

What are the reasons for this, really? I'm not to up-to-date with the situation so it may seem like a dumb question... The rules seem to vary in the extreme between states. Is Kentucky the best state to live in as far as availability is concerned?

Of course, we have our own troubles, with a patchwork of differing liquor laws for each state, and sometimes with each county, not to mention each city!

What are the reasons for this, really? I'm not to up-to-date with the situation so it may seem like a dumb question... The rules seem to vary in the extreme between states.

I think a lot of that is a legacy of our infamous "experiment" known as Prohibition. When Prohibition was lifted by the Twenty-first Amendment to our Constitution, the states were given great latitude to regulate the sale and importation (even from other states) of alcohol.

Quote:

Is Kentucky the best state to live in as far as availability is concerned?

I'm not really sure. For instance, Rittenhouse Rye doesn't seem to be available in Kentucky, even though it's distilled there. Kentucky also has "dry" counties where alcohol sales are still prohibited to this day. In Illinois, there are a few cities, and some neighborhoods within the City of Chicago that are dry, but not whole counties.

(An aside: The US system of government is hierarchical: Federal -> State -> County -> Municipal. Powers that are not reserved for a higher level are delegated to the next lower level.)

I just have to add here that Robert´s list does not include special order items.

These articles can seldom be found on the shelves but if you ask for them they´ll get it for you, usually within one week.

Among these are the JB small batch selection, JD single barrel, EC 12 and many BT and Van Winkle bottlings. The prices here are murderous too, I´m afraid.

A sad (and unexpected) loss recently was Woodford reserve. It has disappeared completely. Also, Maker´s red can now only be ordered as a 1000 ml bottle. How weird!

08-24-2005, 05:47

barturtle

Re: I envy Americans for your range of bourbons...

I asked a guy that works for Labot & Graham once, and he said that anywhere in the world, if you can get Jack Daniels, you can get Woodford Reserve.

Also I live in Kentucky(and part of the year in Louisiana), and I still have to make occasional trips to Chicago, IL to pick up bottles of bourbon and rye-most notably Rittenhouse Rye.

08-24-2005, 13:00

Dave_in_Canada

Re: I envy Americans for your range of bourbons...

Rob, your list there isn't really that bad compared to most countries. In Canada here, we share a common border with the U.S. however, public interest in bourbon (especially premium products) is very limited.

As an example, in the government liquor stores here in B.C., we only have available to us:

In the last two years there have been significant changes to our liquor distribution laws which have allowed the opening of private liquor stores. They can now independently import (through a complex system of distribution) but the prices become exorbitant. The only bourbons I know of that have made it here via this route are Weller 12 and Elmer T Lee both of which I have not bought locally due to high cost.

Other "provinces" each have their own set of liquor distribution rules which often means less selection for the consumer, with the exception of Ontario (I believe) which although gov't run, offers somewhat better selection (probably due to their larger population.

Importing brings it's own set of complications and costs. Travelling is the only option for building a collection.